Sticky Pork Ribs and Indulgent Mini Chocolate Tarts with Peanut Brittle

I've been slacking on this whole cookbook endeavour, well, mostly because I haven't had a job. Now I do!

Yay!

Our neighbour Adam and I alternate making dinner so we don't always have to cook for just ourselves, it's lots of fun. Last time we were at his place, he made mushroom and mozzarella stuffed smokey burgers. Mmmm.

I decided that since I was going to be cooking a bunch of food anyway, I may as well knock off another Ramsay recipe. Even better, I did two!

I did tweek the pork ribs a bit and avoided the star anise because I realllyyyy don't enjoy the flavor, and I couldn't find rice wine because it was a holiday and my favorite specialty store was closed, so I had to resort to a pinot grigio, but otherwise things went as planned.

These ribs were absolutely incredible, and I'm not much of a rib eater. They were tender and juicy and soooo full of flavor. I will absolutely be making them again!!! I served them with herbed baby potatoes, green beans, and incredibleeee corn on the cob from Taber.

I altered the tarts a bit, also, substituting semi-sweet chocolate for dark because I have a hard time with the bitterness of dark chocolate. They were fantastic and I couldn't believe how easy and fast they were to make. A definite go-to for last-minute dessert!

 I will also always make my own peanut brittle from now on!!


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Stuffed Roast Chicken

I haven't posted in a while, mostly because I'm super poor. Because of this, I had to figure out a recipe to make with things I already had (for the most part) and that I could get done before I leave for holidays.

Chicken to the rescue!

I, of course, had a freakishly large roasting chicken in my freezer, as well as some sausage. Woo!

This recipe calls for chorizo sausage, but I can't eat that *sad face* so I used some double garlic sausage from Premium Sausage (2009) Inc.

They have amazing products (ex. SUPER thick cut bacon...drool) that are preservative and filler-free, ideal for those of us that can't eat crap like that!

Check them out at http://premiumsausage.ca/.

This chicken calls for stuffing made of sausage, cannellini beans, onion and sundried tomatoes.

Turns out cannellini beans are basically white kidney beans, which is all I could find anyway.

The stuffing was unreal on its own, let alone after being soaked in chicken carcass juice. Mmmm.

The chicken turned out beautifully, granted that it took twice as long to cook because it was a mutant bird.

White wine gravy, of course! We don't own a gravy boat, so I figured a French Onion soup dish would work just fine!

Stuffing, post-carcass-juice :)

I served the chicken, gravy, and stuffing with roasted asparagus and new potatoes, of course!

This recipe was nice and easy, and fun. Also quick if you don't consider the three hours the chicken took.

All in all, I'd say it was a success!

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Blondies

I made dessert today. Blondies. White chocolates brownies. With cranberries.

Yum.

To be honest, they didn't visually turn out how I'd hoped, but they are quite good. I'm sure I'll make further attempts because they taste sooooo yummy. And really, they don't look bad, just not perfect. Practice, I suppose!

There we have it, two recipes down, one hundred and twenty-four to go. Getting fat has never been so fun.

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Pork Chops With Peppers

I made the first step in my cooking journey tonight.

I picked something easy and fast because, well, it's a week day.

Let me say, it turned out incredibly well. It tasted delicious and even looked right! Yay.

The sweet and sour peppers and onions really complimented the pork, and of course you can't go wrong with basil and thyme...or butter!

I didn't bother buying red wine vinegar but instead used a combination of red wine and apple cider vinegar, to taste. I did swap the suggested red onion for white, simply because I prefer the milder taste of white onion.

I served my pork with roasted golden new potatoes and sautéed broccolini.

Congratulations, me!

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À la "Julie & Julia"

I'm Katie,

I'm a university student, cat owner, and food lover.*

I love cooking from scratch and challenging myself in new ways in the kitchen.

I can't wait to learn (and inevitably screw up)!

Gordon Ramsay's recipes have always been a go-to for me, and anyone who has tried one knows why, he gets right in there and hits you full-on in the taste buds. Not only that, he gives clear instructions because we can't all be a Ramsay!

My first attempt at one of his recipes was his Salmon en Croûte with hollandaise and it turned out beautifully. Unfortunately, this recipe is not in his Home Cooking book, but it is accessible online and I highly recommend trying it.

Please forgive the sub-par iPhone photography done solely for Instagram purposes, future posts will be given proper photographic care.

I will be sure to include a reference page for the recipe I attempt and do my best to include any tips for those of us who aren't trained professionals.

I hope that my unorthodox - and hopefully hilarious - approach to this 309-page adventure amuses and inspires at least one person to explore beyond their comfort zone and whip up something amazing.

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*Read: fat kid at heart